The Department of Community and Human Services Child Welfare Division provides a variety of programs and services to strengthen and support families, including family engagement services, programs for supporting fathers and community wraparound services for children and families who are at-risk of encountering abuse or neglect. When those interventions are not enough, or additional time is needed to support the biological family, foster care families provide a stable home for children while their parents or caregivers work to improve their situation. 

Foster care exists to provide safe, temporary homes for kids who cannot safely live with their families while the families work to improve their situation. Learn more about our Foster Care Program.

Kinship care is the full-time care of children by relatives or other people with whom the child has a close emotional connection, when the child’s biological parents are unable to do so. Learn more about our Kinship Care Program.

There is a direct link between father involvement and child safety and well-being. DCHS provides specialized fatherhood engagement services to families experiencing foster care. Learn more about our Fatherhood Engagement Program.

The safety and well-being of children is a community responsibility. DCHS provides child abuse prevention and child protective services. Learn more about child abuse prevention and child protective services. 

The Fund for Alexandria's Child works to enhance the quality of life of children in foster care and children at risk of abuse and neglect by promoting community awareness, involvement, and resource development. Learn more about The Fund for Alexandria's Child and volunteer opportunities.